Wednesday, June 3, 2015

11:42 AM

GRE Verbal Challenge Question:



Although eventually fatal, feline leukemia is (i)________ in the short term through medication; however, because the causative virus is shed in saliva and nasal (ii)________ easily and copiously, infected cats transmit the infection (iii)________, so whether an infected cat appears to be well or ill, it must always be isolated from other felines.

A) Fathomable
B) Enviable
C) Manageable

D) Discretions
E) Secretions
F) Resignations

G) Arduously
H) Readily
I) Gingerly

Directions: For each blank select one entry from the corresponding group of choices. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text.




Explanation:


For the first blank (i) :

The phrase “Although eventually fatal” in the first sentence is a detour road sign; we know that for the first blank, we are looking for a word that contrasts with the eventual outcome of the infection. 

Answer choice (C) manageable, meaning “controllable,” describes a nonfatal, stable state of the infection, which contrasts with the “fatal” outcome of the disease. This is the first correct answer. 
Answer choice (A) fathomable, “understandable,” does not produce the contrast we need, so it is incorrect. 
Answer choice (B) enviable, meaning “desirable,” makes no sense in context because a fatal disease is an undesirable thing. Hence, choice (B) is incorrect.


For the second blank (ii):

We notice that the virus that causes the disease is “shed” through a cat’s saliva and that there is the straight-ahead road sign “and.” We can predict that the virus will have a second route out of a cat’s body. Furthermore, the adjective “nasal” indicates that the virus is exiting through a cat’s nose, so we need a word that describes something relating to the nose. 

Answer choice (E)secretions, or “discharge,” names a fluid related to the nose that could serve as a means for a virus to exit a cat; this is the second correct answer. 
Answer choice (D) discretions means “good judgments” or “modesties,” which have nothing to do with a cat’s nose or general anatomy, so this choice is incorrect. 
Answer choice (F)resignations means “acts of acceptance” or “acts of leaving.” Because neither definition relates to cats or noses, this choice is likewise incorrect.



For the third blank(iii):

The keyword “because” tells us that the third blank is the effect in a cause-and-effect relationship. The cause is that the virus causing the disease is shed, and the result is that the infection is transmitted. Because the virus is shed “easily and copiously,” we can predict that the third missing word will also mean something like “easily.” 

Answer choice (H) matches this prediction perfectly because one meaning of readily is “easily.” This is the third correct answer. 
Answer choice (G) arduously means “laboriously” or “with difficulty,” which is the opposite of what we want and thus incorrect. 
Answer choice (I) gingerly means “carefully,” which doesn’t make sense in context and is therefore incorrect.

The correct answers are answer choices (C), (E), and (H).

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